Over/under acquisition and data processing: the next quantum leap in seismic technology?

In a conventional towed-streamer marine acquisition configuration, shallow sources and shallow cables increase the high-frequency content of the seismic data needed for resolution. However, shallow sources and shallow cables attenuate the low frequencies, which are necessary for stratigraphic and structural inversion, and for imaging deep objectives. Towing shallow also makes the data more susceptible to environmental noise.  In contrast deep sources and deep cables enhance the low frequencies, but attenuate the high frequencies. In addition, the data recorded via a deep tow have a higher signal-to-ambient-noise ratio due to the more benign towing environment. A conventional towed-streamer survey design therefore, attempts to balance these conflicting aspects to arrive at a tow depth for the sources and cable that optimizes the bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio of the data for a specific target depth or two-way travel time, often at the expense of other shallower or deeper objectives.  An over/under, towed-streamer configuration is a method of acquiring seismic data where cables are typically towed in pairs at two different cable depths, with one cable vertically above the other. The depths of these paired cables are typically significantly deeper than would be used for a conventional towed-streamer configuration.